This WAS a wild game tonight. Aeros prevailed 3 vs. Checkers 2

 Nr 3 * Kuemper

Nr 2 * Granlund

.Nr. 1 * Larssen

Justin Peters Nr. 35

Darcy Kuemper Nr. 35

After the soso game two nights ago, this was a wild fast paced,  exciting game between two worthy opponents.  A funny little tidbit: Aeros Nr. 35 battled Checkers Nr. 35 (net minders) :-D.
Garnering for Kuemper in goal (finally - his fans were so pleased) the Nr. 3 * nomination as he stopped 30 of the 32 sogs with which the Checkers  peppered him, even increasing the number in periods 2 and 3.
Considering that the Aeros Only shot 21 sogs on Justin Peters, making this a win in OT was - almost - a miracle. Tonight's Aeros defense was present and accounted for IMO.
Overall I really liked the quality of the game played by both teams. Fast, furious and  (almost) no holds barred, even though IMO the Checkers managed to slide past a goaltender interference call or two, despite TWO referees, who called 6 penalties, one resulted in the PP goal by Granlund.  Jordan and Medvec had at it to the pleasure of excited yelling and screaming fans, and sat in the box for roughing.

Zac Dalpe (19 ) tries but  defense and Kuemper hold him off

Tripping up a Checkerman ;-)

I am totally in awe over the speed, ice sense and well aimed passing that Granlund seems to toss off effortlessly.
On the other hand I felt Cuma lacked some umph tonight, despite doing yeoman's work checking Checkers (lol) opponents often, his slow and often short distance passing almost caused another goal by checkers! Yikes!

 Attacking the Aeros net

 

Caught between Cuma  and Kuemper

And what a surprise to see Petersen (11),  latterly with the  Solar Bears, get his AHL goal in the first period with the help of McIntyre (26).

Larsson whoops it up after his game winner goal

And the game winner by Larsson (with Bagnall) about halfway through Overtime went over rather well to the 7 000 plus fans  

Celebration...well earned guys.!

Belated Christmas Present for Aeros fans Aeros 4-Stars 3

The winning goal by Medvec!

Granlund and Nilstorp duel for the puck :-)

With Matt Hackett in the net the Aeros managed to overcome attacks by Texas Stars to win the game in OT 4-3. 

Zucker seems always ready...

Being Guns and Hoses night, TC brimmed over with close to 11000 

very loud fans animated by

Hackett- the warrior

FACES                       

                                   Nilstorp of the Stars

Busy, busy  Hackett

Saved

Granlund at face off

Goal by Coyle in the 2nd. 

Aeros score first (Granlund, Coyle, Zucker), but Stars (Fraser, Sceviour, Benn) bounce back within 5 minutes. The rest of the first was a bit blah.
In the second Aeros scored first again (Palmieri, Fontaine, Connelly). Although the Stars managed to get a PP goal (Eakin, Chiasson, Smith) while Bagnall sits,  the Aeros also got a PP goal (Coyle, Granlund, Zucker) during the only penalty of a Stars player (Eakin).
Then came the third and it was a busy time for the Stars with 13 SOG and one goal by Roussell, Nemeth, Dillon to even the score to 3:3.

And so we went to OT. When a bit over 2 minutes into it Kyle Medvec with the help of Palmieri and Cuma scored the game winner! Now that WAS a surprise to us after having been less then overwhelmed with his performance with the Solar Bears in early December.

Amazingly, there were only 3 penalties called and both teams managed to convert one each!
Hackett gets the win with 27 saved of 30 SOG

Opera: A new Sodom and Gomorah?

Reading this just makes me want to crawl into the woodwork for a while.
Isn't life real and ugly enough?

Why can't we be spared more ugliness on stage?
Just because a director(ess) wants to shock?
http://www.lamonnaie.be/en/353//

What happens in this world is shocking enough, too shocking, IMO.

So, for Pete's sake, do let us enjoy a few hours when music whisks us away.

 

Or could if it were not for those dratted directors forcing trash and horrors, even porn however soft it may seem, on an unsuspecting (can we be still thus?) audience.

ENOUGH, ENOUGH ALREADY!

Yes, indeed.
I am just so fed up already with the to-ing and fro-ing of the NHL lock out scenario.
Just call it quits.
And Stop all games for the - already - lost season.

Not THIS dragging out the news...to cancel or not to cancel - week by week.
Adding insult to injury!
Somehow I really don't care anymore, who plays where overseas, if at all.

The greedy crybabies on both sides need to shut up.
AND refund the money to the fed-up fans who surely could put it to better use this holiday season for their own families.
Or if wealthy enough not to need it, they could SURELY use it for charity in these days of woe!

We had made plans, and paid in advance, to see a couple NHL team games while in balmy Florida. Then they cancelled though a certain date, then they cancelled through a new date, and so on.
Now they have cancelled through end of January!

Now we get requests to exchange those meant-for -hockey tickets for BOXING event tickets!!!!
Yeah, sure we'll drop everything and fly over there to see a boxing match and what else?
Just so those 'poor' people over there need not refund OUR money which they had access to for 6 MONTHS! 

 I  THINK NOT- NO WAY, Jose ;-)

I do not have much of Christmas spirit right now when it comes to those poor, oh, to be so pitied' NHL players and owners, not to forget the union!

No Sirree, bah humbug moments are more apropos.

Oughtn't we fans  collect Christmas $ for those poor players and owners that are suffering deprivations? (:-D ...  a sarcastic remark, in case someone does not get it!) I think not!
 If you believe in a solution soon, I guess you do believe in Santa Claus and his reindeer, too :-)!

Meanwhile from the KHL in the spirit of Christmas :-)

Es weihnachtet schon

Graz im Dezember 2012

aber nur anderswo.
Hier im suedlichen sonnigen Texas ist es warm mit blauem Himmel.
Parkplaetze sind voll.
Leute rennen mit vollen Einkaufstaschen herum.
Kauf, Kauf, Kauf ist doch noch gang und gebig!

 

Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten, dass mir heuer die Weihnachtslieder in den shopping malls NICHT auf die Nerven gehen:-)?
In frueheren Zeiten fand ich es grauslich schon ab Mitte November Jingle Bells, udgl ueben die Lautsprecher zu hoeren,  wenn ich bloss Lebensmittel kaufen ging.

 

Also an alle chers Lesers

EIN FROHES WEIHNACHTS FEST

 

Ganslbraten ?

 

oder

Karpfen ?

!

WOES

Words fail to express the outrage and sorrow over the most recent shooting tragedy.

Outlaw Guns!
Why not outlaw mentally sick people?

How about, IMHO, re instituting teaching morality, honesty, humbleness, and restraint... in the home.. by parents?

Enough said.

Those children lost - may the rest in peace.
Those who lost loved ones - may they find solace....sometime, somehow, somewhere.

From Sunny Florida and an icy cold Germain arena

A bit delayed because.. for whatever reason, this did not post the day I wrote it on a hotel computer!
sorry to say,

but the Everblades lost  to the Greenville Roadwarriors  5-4 in a SO

 
Who skated with fervor and passed with accuracy, most of the time.
Somehow, seated almost at the glass as we were, the game appeared to be much faster than from above, the rink much smaller and the guys much cuter (some of them):-)!

So that was that.

John Muse in goal for the Blades seemed a bit 'uninspired' maybe the hockey muse was on vacation in Key West, because she surely wasn't here in Estero.
On the other hand, we did run into a fellow blogger Lady Bing's  Love Child and chatted for a bit.
And tonight there will be a rematch and we shall be there as well.

At the second game vs Roadwarriors, Blades with Pat Nagle in goal, did better with 3-4 victory. Nagle played a  Barry Brust style goal tending :D!

There was NO fog in Amway Arena

when the Ft. Wayne Komets won in a Shootout over the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday.

Despite Kuemper in GREEN Aeros pants and mask in goal.

Not having  programs available, here's the list of Bears Players none was posted for the Komets

.
The First Period seemed endless... Bears totally distraught? WHY? No idea.

 Komets could have scored goal after goal if it had not been for Kuemps!

The second and third periods went a bit better.
Bears DID get their lead out and shots on goal increased.

But, IMO, the 'Reiter of the Komets' in their net just sat solidly in the saddle (lol) Reiter=Rider). Plus that team seemed a bit better organized in  passing and fore checking.

Baldwin (23) and Klotz (Klotz in German means millstone or drag) LOL- had rather big set to..to the tune of 5 minutes penalties. With Klotz the upper hand for sure!
But that was not the only fight.
Several broke out, were broken up to the boos of the over 6.5oo fans in attendance and the game went on to its sad (for the Bears) conclusion of a SO Loss.

Kuemps at chat with Medved about?

Twice glass had to be repaired .. so while that was going on Kuemps and Medved had a chat. 
Well, maybe Kuemps was telling Medved to play better!
Because, indeed, neither Medved not Lorenz - both taunted Wild prospects - showed up favorably?
I might say the whole team did not show up well on Friday ...
badly coached? Bad Ice Day? Bad attitude?
Somehow, the impression - I got - was of a rather pathetic team who just could not get it together.

Despite that... Kuemps smiles sunnily...
                   on Friday!

                                         while a Komet  Player seems to shade his eyes from it ;-)

The two teams continued to do battle on Saturday night (Komets (Effinger in goal) win in Regulation 3-0 in a Shut Out vs Kuemper with Bears continuing inefficient playing! ) and Sunday afternoon!

How SWEET a victory at home tastes...

YES indeed,
the Aeros achieved a win in OT  3-2 - AT HOME - against a formidable opponent, the Abbortsford Heat (thankfully sans Krys Kolanos and Barry Brust).
Not that Danny Taylor was a slouch in the net for the Heat!

Jason ZUCKER (he's just such a sugar :-)  on the ice, he is) with the help of blond locked Larsson,  scored the winning goal 5, yes, just Five, seconds into OT.
How sweet :-) THAT was for fans.

OK gang, this was a fun to watch game.

When I consider that the HEAT played their third game in a row, they played well, fast and aggressively,
especially Piskula who scored the evener goal in the Third, sailing the puck right over a prone Hackett, who was literally helpless before him!

Other wise Hackett had a good night, he stopped all but those 2 the Heat threw at him.

Fontaine Goal

Fontaine with Cuma and Phillips scored in the 1.

Piskula Goal

Followed soon by Heat's Olson goal.

McIntyre with Palmieri and Fontaine made it 2 Aeros in the second, and fans were getting ready to celebrate when the 

Pesky Piskula scored goal 2 for Heat...............................................

Of course,  tempers flared at times,  and later when it happened that someone interfered with Hackett, Bagnall took it upon himself to discipline, without a major fight, the Heat who interfered with Hackett...............
see photos.

Sadly, Palmer could not score when Taylor was out of crease with ..the net wide open like the photo at right shows :-)
- that will surely give him some nightmares to come.





Equally sadly Bulmer had to be escorted off the ice..

And at another time the two team captains conferred with the referees about an Aeros goal, which wasn't




 while Chilly sits waiting!

But all went well in the end with players celebrating en  masse,
and Hackett jumping on top (for a change) of the pile of happy players!